Personally, I never stuck with any hobbies or activities outside of school. Some people had dance, or team sports, or other passions that shaped their lifestyle or aided their academic development, but I never experienced anything like that in my life. I was predominantly motivated by myself. My family and friends were great influences for me that helped me to perform my best, and I am forever grateful for that. If it weren’t for them, I am positive I would not have developed my love for education the way I have.
Throughout my schooling, my parents have inadvertently influenced my academic development. My parents were never the type of parents to pressure me to excel in school. I was never forced to do my homework or study, and I was never pressured by them to keep my grades up. My performance in school was driven by my own personal desire to learn and be the best I can be. I have always wanted to get the most from my schooling and would constantly strive to truly understand the material presented in class. By my own choice, I would often stay after school and take advantage of the extra time my teachers were available to answer my questions. My parents were always proud of me for being successful in school and taking control of my own education. As children themselves, my parents were never forced by their parents to perform well academically, and they thought that was the best way for me to develop a real love of learning. I hope to be able to take this same approach for my future children one day and I also hope that my future students have positive family influences to help them personally strive to do their best.
Aside from my immediate family, my extended family actually put more pressure on me to perform well academically. My whole life I have lived next door to my paternal grandparents. My Grammie, as I call my grandmother, taught high school math as her profession. This is exactly my goal coming out of college, as I’m majoring in Secondary Education along with Mathematics. I’m not sure if my Grammie ever had any direct influence in my choice of study, but she definitely influenced my high school preformance. Her and my Grampie, as I call my grandfather, would always search for my name on the honor roll in the local paper. Then they would to proceed to ask me why I didn’t receive high honors that quarter. It was not my biggest motivation, but I did always wish to impress my grandparents.
In the eyes of my grandparents, I am not their smartest grandchild. That honor belongs to my cousin, Maya, who is only 14 and already ahead of her peers in a few subjects at her school. While I struggle with reading and writing, Maya is an advanced reader and participates in her school’s “Reading Olympics”. She is already researching Ivy League universities while she is only a high school freshman. She applies all of her efforts to academics, and spends little time enjoying life in the moment. Although yes, it would be nice to choose my top college realistically from a group of Ivy Leagues, I don’t need that stress in my life. I want a balance in life. Academics are very important to me, but there is more to life than getting good grades. I hope that my future children and students understand that as well. If you spend all your time stressing over your academic performance, life will pass you by and you will most likely later regret that.
Lastly, my friends have had a positive influence on my academics. My best friends in high school and I all shared a common desire to do well in school and actually learn the material. My two best friends, Megan and Sarah, were both in my AP Physics class with me. We spent much of our time together studying and doing homework and labs together. We were all driven by each other to be our best. We also became a bit competitive by the end of the school year, as our grades were usually in the same ballpark. When I would beat them on tests or other graded assignments, I felt a sense of accomplishment and I was always proud of myself. I loved that feeling. This feeling is part of what drove me to learn the most from my AP Physics class. I enjoyed that class and studied excessively with my friends before the AP exam. I did end up beating them on the exam- I got a 5 and they both got 3s. Overall, having my friends to motivate me made this my favorite class in high school. I was able to do my best while also having fun with my friends.
My outside influences in school proved to have had maybe the biggest affect on my academic performance. I am lucky enough to have amazing parents that never put too much pressure on me, and amazing friends that motivated me to do my best. These are the people who have shaped me into who I am today. I appreciate them all so much and am forever grateful for their love and support.
Throughout my schooling, my parents have inadvertently influenced my academic development. My parents were never the type of parents to pressure me to excel in school. I was never forced to do my homework or study, and I was never pressured by them to keep my grades up. My performance in school was driven by my own personal desire to learn and be the best I can be. I have always wanted to get the most from my schooling and would constantly strive to truly understand the material presented in class. By my own choice, I would often stay after school and take advantage of the extra time my teachers were available to answer my questions. My parents were always proud of me for being successful in school and taking control of my own education. As children themselves, my parents were never forced by their parents to perform well academically, and they thought that was the best way for me to develop a real love of learning. I hope to be able to take this same approach for my future children one day and I also hope that my future students have positive family influences to help them personally strive to do their best.
Aside from my immediate family, my extended family actually put more pressure on me to perform well academically. My whole life I have lived next door to my paternal grandparents. My Grammie, as I call my grandmother, taught high school math as her profession. This is exactly my goal coming out of college, as I’m majoring in Secondary Education along with Mathematics. I’m not sure if my Grammie ever had any direct influence in my choice of study, but she definitely influenced my high school preformance. Her and my Grampie, as I call my grandfather, would always search for my name on the honor roll in the local paper. Then they would to proceed to ask me why I didn’t receive high honors that quarter. It was not my biggest motivation, but I did always wish to impress my grandparents.
In the eyes of my grandparents, I am not their smartest grandchild. That honor belongs to my cousin, Maya, who is only 14 and already ahead of her peers in a few subjects at her school. While I struggle with reading and writing, Maya is an advanced reader and participates in her school’s “Reading Olympics”. She is already researching Ivy League universities while she is only a high school freshman. She applies all of her efforts to academics, and spends little time enjoying life in the moment. Although yes, it would be nice to choose my top college realistically from a group of Ivy Leagues, I don’t need that stress in my life. I want a balance in life. Academics are very important to me, but there is more to life than getting good grades. I hope that my future children and students understand that as well. If you spend all your time stressing over your academic performance, life will pass you by and you will most likely later regret that.
Lastly, my friends have had a positive influence on my academics. My best friends in high school and I all shared a common desire to do well in school and actually learn the material. My two best friends, Megan and Sarah, were both in my AP Physics class with me. We spent much of our time together studying and doing homework and labs together. We were all driven by each other to be our best. We also became a bit competitive by the end of the school year, as our grades were usually in the same ballpark. When I would beat them on tests or other graded assignments, I felt a sense of accomplishment and I was always proud of myself. I loved that feeling. This feeling is part of what drove me to learn the most from my AP Physics class. I enjoyed that class and studied excessively with my friends before the AP exam. I did end up beating them on the exam- I got a 5 and they both got 3s. Overall, having my friends to motivate me made this my favorite class in high school. I was able to do my best while also having fun with my friends.
My outside influences in school proved to have had maybe the biggest affect on my academic performance. I am lucky enough to have amazing parents that never put too much pressure on me, and amazing friends that motivated me to do my best. These are the people who have shaped me into who I am today. I appreciate them all so much and am forever grateful for their love and support.